Walnut Hill School grad Barrett Wilbert Weed hits the big time with “Heathers: The Musical”

Cambridge’s Barrett Wilbert Weed
is only a few years out of college, which means that the 1988 movie “Heathers” is way before her time. But she’s learned to love and appreciate the cult comedy, which starred Christian Slater as a very hot bad boy who manipulates his girlfriend, Veronica (Wynona Ryder), into killing her popular classmates. “There’s really nothing like it, especially the tone,” Weed says, adding that in 2014, a movie like “Heathers” would never get made.

Weed stars as Veronica in “Heathers: The Musical,” which had its big opening at New World Stages Off-Broadway last week. The Walnut Hill School grad says that this is her biggest acting gig to date. Fans of the movie are flocking to the show, as are celebs. She had Tony Danza, “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly Rae Jepsen, and Billy Crystal in the audience for the big premiere. Slater himself tweeted a picture with the cast on Wednesday night. “And Ana Gasteyer!” Weed said, of the former “Saturday Night Live” star. “I’ve been dying to meet Ana Gasteyer for a long time. I was like, ‘Can I hug you? Can I hold you?’ I’m flabbergasted by people who are consistently hilarious.”

Weed, whose mom still lives a few blocks from Harvard Square, said there has also been an unanticipated youth presence in the audience for the show. Her costar, Ryan McCartan, who plays Slater’s muderous character JD, happens to be on the Disney Channel series “Liv and Maddie.” McCartan’s young fans have apparently come out in droves to see him in person, even though “Heathers: The Musical” is all about sex, bad words, and high school homicide.

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“We even had a night where there were, like, really little kids. Like 9.” Weed said. “It’s, like, just inappropriate enough for me to be, like, are we scarring these children?”